The present invention is related to disclosure document Ser. No. 253,705, entitled WALK-THROUGH CANE, filed Mar. 21, 1990 by Edward N. Harwood. This invention relates to a walker for assisting invalids to walk.
1. Field of the Invention
People with physical infirmities often require devices to aid them in walking. For some more severely affected persons, a single cane is not sufficient support for walking. For such people, walkers (with two or more vertical supports) have been developed. Such people often desire to walk for exercise and to maintain muscle tone to the maximum extent possible. However, existing walking aids often impede the user from taking steps, both on a level way and on stairs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Examples of existing walkers are described below. U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,283, issued Oct. 25, 1983, to Lucarelli illustrates a walker having four vertical members arranged in a four-sided framework with horizontal supports at the top and bottom of the framework. The front two vertical members are movable up and down in order to allow for ascending and descending staris. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 188,784, issued Sep. 13, 1960 to Campbell illustrates a walker having three fixed vertical members arranged in a triangular framework with a horizontal support at the top. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 291,791, issued Sep. 8, 1987 to Bean illustrates a walker having two vertical members which are arranged to be relatively coplanar (that is, there are no other members extending to the front or back of the walker) with two horizontal supports, one at the top and one at the bottom.
The walker described in Lucarelli is difficult to walk with because it is heavy. The walkers described in both Lucarelli and Campbell are difficult to use on stairs because they are not relatively coplanar near the bottom. The walkers described in both Lucarelli and Bean prevent the user from taking more than one or two small steps before the walker must be moved. It is desirable that a walker allow a user to take several normal steps before being moved, and easily to ascend and descend steps. In addition, a walker should not be so heavy as to make it difficult to move.